Sustainable construction is achieved by the implementation of sustainable development principles in the construction industry. The complexity and higher level of inter-project conflicts that occur in large-scale projects mean that the implementation of sustainable construction in those projects is substantially different from that in smaller scale projects. A case study approach has been adopted to analyse the planning and implementation of sustainable construction in the Shanghai World Expo 2010 across the entire programme lifecycle. As one of the largest programmes in China, the Shanghai World Expo 2010 has the potential to serve as a showcase for the application of sustainable development principles in construction. The key factors that need to be considered in order to promote sustainable construction at the programme level are identified. These include the establishment of a dedicated department to coordinate various stakeholders’ efforts and the release of conceptual guidelines and management regulations. In addition, a framework is proposed to implement sustainable construction at the programme management level.

The construction industry is facing a data tsunami, while emerging information technologies (IT) show great potential for the effective processing of these data or information. However, a comprehensive review for technological change, the resulting process, and organizational changes in the Big Data context, especially from the angle of whole lifecycle of construction project, is lacking. To fill the void, related works published in the databases of Web of Science, Science Direct, and American Society of Civil Engineers library are systematically reviewed. The general trend in emerging IT application in terms of construction project management (CPM) phases, technology and application, and research topics are revealed. Following this analysis, the particularized proposals in relation to each of the main topics within CPM is discussed. Furthermore, according to the advances and limitations of the current literature, corresponding future agendas such as the implementation of comprehensive data‐driven CPM scenario are proposed to bridge the gaps between theoretical research and practical demands.

It is well recognized that the construction industry is one of the largest contributors to global greenhouse gas emissions. This research investigates achieving carbon neutrality in commercial developments. A case study approach was adopted to gain an in-depth analysis of the first commercial building claimed to be carbon neutral in Australia. Key participants were interviewed, and this was followed by a review of the project specification. The analysis focuses on practices to achieve carbon neutrality in commercial developments, such as standard setting, measurement, materials selection, construction techniques, and knowledge. Results showed that a carbon-neutral commercial building can be achieved even though there are a number of challenges, such as lack of maturity in working definitions and subsequent standards to measure carbon neutrality. The selection of appropriate materials and relevant knowledge are critical in achieving carbon neutrality in commercial building developments. This study provides a useful reference for future carbon-neutral commercial developments.

Urban greenery is widely acknowledged as a key element for creating livable urban environments and improving residents’ quality of life. However, only a few current studies on the subject of urban greenery focus on a human visual perspective and take street greenery into consideration. Street greenery is an indispensable component of urban vegetation to which residents have a higher frequency of access. Additionally, few studies focused on the disparity of the green view at a micro-level, such as at a county or community level. This study explored the spatial distribution of street greenery and its influential factors using the green view index (GVI) as the main evaluation indicator. Compared to other traditional indicators of greenery, such as the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and accessibility, GVI is recognized as a human-oriented indicator to evaluate the quantity of greenery viewed by human eyes in daily life. The downtown area of Shanghai was chosen as the case study, as it reflects the common phenomenon of street greenery in many megacities globally. In addition, county/jiedao (the same administrative area as county in China) level was selected as the minimum geographical unit to evaluate the disparity of GVI and its influential factors to fill the knowledge gap. We analyzed 233,000 pieces of street-view images from Baidu Map and other correlated data. The results showed (1) the street greenery of 70% of the downtown area of Shanghai is less than the recommended comforFogre visual environment; (2) street greenery is spatially clustered in Huangpu district, Xuhui district, college town, and the Century Park of Shanghai; (3) street-greenery distribution is positively correlated with housing price and street network density, and negatively correlated with the ratio of society vulnerability; however, it is uncorrelated to population density. According to these findings, local municipalities could improve urban planning and design by introducing a more human-oriented green-space policy that improves social equity.

The choice of delivery method is one of the most important decisions that can determine the quality of construction projects. Two basic delivery methods, design-bid-build and design-build, have been compared in terms of project quality; however, an important quality dimension, performance quality, has generally been ignored in previous studies. In this study, the authors used existing economic theories to develop a model to examine the performance quality and project profits of these two delivery methods. The equilibrium points of the model were analyzed with consideration given to influencing factors such as cost coefficient, cooperation efficiency, and coordination cost. Four propositions were made to facilitate the quality-profit comparisons between design-bid-build and design-build. The first proposition showed that to maximize personal profit, the project coordinator should always keep a balance between design quality and construction quality, regardless of the delivery method. The other thre...

Social responsibility strategies are indispensable for the sustainable development of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Nonetheless, the application of social responsibility (SR) policies in such mega infrastructure projects remains a pressing concern since a number of barriers impede the effective integration of SR practices. Therefore, this paper seeks to identify these barriers and determine the interrelationships among them. A list of barriers was first identified from a literature review and expert consultation. Subsequently, a survey was designed to collect experts’ views on the interrelations among these barriers. The Fuzzy DEMATEL method was employed to analyze these barriers’ causal relationships and interdependencies. Subsequently, the ISM approach was used to develop a hierarchical structure and establish the driving and dependence relationships among them. The classification of barriers, based on driving power and dependence power, was accomplished using the MICMAC analysis. The results reveal that barriers such as “The diverse institutions, cultures, and social conditions among BRI countries”, “Lack of robust social responsibility laws and regulations in the host countries”, “Lack of stringent and legally binding BRI policies and guidelines governing social responsibility”, “The diverse environmental and social frameworks and standards among BRI countries”, “The diverse international, national, and private funds for BRI projects”, and “Lack of customer awareness and knowledge of CSR” are the most critical barriers and have the greatest influence on social responsibility implementation. Identifying these key barriers and their interrelationships will assist decision-makers, policymakers, and other stakeholders involved in BRI mega infrastructure projects in minimizing or overcoming them, hence increasing the chances of successfully integrating social responsibility practices within these projects.